Darling's measured approach will drive Brown mad
Peter Hoskin 1:26pm
I've just got around to reading Alistair Darling's Mansion House speech from last night, and I'd recommend that CoffeeHousers flick through it too. It's a strange mix which takes some dechipering. At first glance, there's plenty of talk about "investment"; the doubling, tripling and quadrupling of budgets; and how "cutting spending across the board would choke off the recovery". But the overall emphasis - which, in turn, has become the emphasis of the newspaper coverage - is on bringing the public finances back into shape, and on lowering the debt burden.
It's a speech which No.10 should welcome as it's a not altogether unsuccessful refinement of the blunt "Labour investment vs Tory cuts" line: setting it in a framework of "tax increases for those that can afford them", public service reform and waste-cutting. Sure, not stuff that meets the challenge of the debt crisis - but politically smarter than yet another dividing line from the Dear Leader. And that's why, in the end, I imagine it will be rejected by Brown and Balls. They'll regard Darling's more measured approach as a direct attack on their crass politics - and perhaps rightly so.
What we're seeing now is a defining split in the government, and one which could fester more openly than the Blair-Brown divide ever did. On one side, you've got Balls and Brown - who, you feel, are too far gone to back down from their crude dividing line now - and, on the other, an emboldened Chancellor whose rhetoric on "living within our means" somtimes chimes more closely with that of the Tories. Expect fireworks around the next Pre-Budget Report, if not sooner.
Previous
David
June 18th, 2009 1:43pm Report this comment"tax increases for those that can afford them", public service reform and waste-cutting"
Little to disagree with there, really.
Liz Brown
June 18th, 2009 2:07pm Report this commentBrown is mad as a hatter already
The more "splits" the better, in my humble.............
Stronghold Barricades
June 18th, 2009 2:09pm Report this commenttax increases for those that can afford them", public service reform and waste-cutting
Like the 10p tax fiasco
...and then you have the BoE saying somethings strangely off message
James
June 18th, 2009 2:19pm Report this commentDarling is about the only one of this rabble to emerge from the last month with anything like a shred of reputation - expenses notwithstanding.
Jean Baker
June 18th, 2009 2:25pm Report this comment" .... chimes more closely with that of the Tories".
Hence the party in third place poll ratings is hitching a ride. New adverts daily for six figure salaries in the box ticking public sector.
Same ol' media spin .....
Usual media spin and manipulation.
Short the UK
June 18th, 2009 2:30pm Report this commentBrown & Balls are Dr. Evil & Mini Me.
Alistair Darling is Austin Powers - lots of flipping.
Cammie is Basil Exposition - tally-ho.
Jonathan Cook
June 18th, 2009 2:37pm Report this commentDarling has started to come across as a decent Chancellor.
The problem is that his legacy includes 2 years of agreeing to most of Brown's idiocy.
Darling has 12 months to rescue his legacy as Chancellor and start to get the nations finances into shape for the next government.
Step 1: Continue to ignore Brown's more lunatic demands.
Alan
June 18th, 2009 2:39pm Report this commentDavid,
That's the same message we had from Brown for a decade. The tax increases happen but the waste cutting doesn't.
JHill
June 18th, 2009 2:50pm Report this comment@James
Agree: from his comments over past few weeks I think this man may have a conscience about what happens to this country's finances, unlike our Dear Leader. Notwithstanding his expenses rather glad he hasn't resigned or Brown/Balls might be even more out of control
Draughtsman
June 18th, 2009 3:10pm Report this commentIt is always about taxing more with Labour and if ever, God forbid, they won the next election, us ordinary workers would be taxed into oblivion to pay for their contemptuous squandering of our maney.
We are all paying far too much tax as it is now especially those on lower incomes and pensions. What the Government should do and won't of course is take an axe to all of the useless quangoes and the vast numbers of gash hands whose job consists only of attending endless rounds of meetings or devising puerile box forms for others to tick.
Paul B
June 18th, 2009 3:47pm Report this commentI agree with Jonathan Cook above. Darling is starting , slowly slowly, to gain credit for his more measured and careful approach to he crisis. He is starting to emerge as a potential future leader, post election. At odds of up to 100/1
http://www.oddschecker.com/specials/politics-and-election/next-party-leaders/next-labour-leader
he has to be worth an outside punt.
Wily Trout
June 18th, 2009 3:53pm Report this commentPerhaps he's 'thinking about his legacy'...
The history books are going to be there for an awful long time.
Simon Stephenson
June 18th, 2009 3:59pm Report this commentJonathan Cook
"Darling has started to come across as a decent Chancellor."
I'm sure there were plenty who were saying this about Hitler after his first few weeks. Let's wait to see what Darling's intentions REALLY are, shall we, before starting to heap praise on him. Remenber Brown's takeover - 99% of the commentariat were swooning with pleasant surprise and hopeful anticipation - look what we've actually got!
Roger
June 18th, 2009 4:54pm Report this commentI think we judge Darling against Brown, therefore he looks honest. However, I doubt that his budget will stand scrutiny.
DM
June 18th, 2009 8:30pm Report this commentI would have more time for Darling if he had not been so much on the make when it comes to expenses. This man is in it for himself as much as the next.
Back to top